Crown Castle investors may receive additional information about the case by clicking the link "Submit Your Information" above.

The Class Period commences on February 26, 2018, when Crown Castle filed with the SEC its annual report on a Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2017.  The Form 10-K stated in relevant part that, “[b]ased upon their evaluation, the CEO and CFO concluded that the Company’s disclosure controls and procedures, as of December 31, 2017 were effective,” and that “[b]ased on the Company’s assessment, management has concluded that the Company’s internal control over financial reporting was effective as of December 31, 2017 to provide reasonable assurance regarding the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external reporting purposes in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles.”

According to the complaint, on February 26, 2020, Crown Castle issued a press release announcing that Crown Castle “concluded that [Crown Castle’s] historical practice was not acceptable under GAAP. . . . As a result, the preliminary impact to each of Net Income, Adjusted EBITDA and AFFO is a decrease of approximately $100 million for full year 2019 actuals and a decrease of approximately $90 million to our Previous 2020 Outlook.”  The press release further stated that “[d]ue to the identified errors described above, we will restate our financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, and unaudited financial information for the quarterly and year-to-date periods in the year ended December 31, 2018 and for the first three quarters in the year ended December 31, 2019.”  Finally, the press release announced that “Crown Castle has determined that the restatement of its previously issued financial statements as described above indicates the existence of one or more material weaknesses in its internal control over financial reporting and that its internal control over financial reporting and disclosure controls and procedures were ineffective as of December 31, 2019.”

Following this news, shares of Crown Castle fell $14.38 per share, or over 8.8%, to close at $148.31 per share on February 27, 2020.

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, the defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) Crown Castle’s internal control over financial reporting and disclosures controls and procedures were ineffective and materially weak; (2) Crown Castle’s financial accounting and reporting was not in accordance with GAAP; (3) Crown Castle’s net income, adjusted EBITDA, and AFFO were inflated; (4) Crown Castle would need to restate its financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2018 and 2017, and unaudited financial information for the quarterly and year-to-date periods in the year ended December 31, 2018 and for the first three quarters in the year ended December 31, 2019; and (5) as a result, the defendants’ statements about its business, operations, and prospects, were materially false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.

If you are a member of the class described above, you may no later than April 27, 2020 move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff of the class, if you so choose.

A lead plaintiff is a representative party that acts on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. In order to be appointed lead plaintiff, the Court must determine that the class member’s claim is typical of the claims of other class members, and that the class member will adequately represent the class. Your ability to share in any recovery is not, however, affected by the decision whether or not to serve as a lead plaintiff. Returning the attached form or communicating with any counsel is not necessary to participate or share in any recovery achieved in this case.  Any member of the purported class may move the court to serve as a lead plaintiff through counsel of his/her choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an inactive class member.

Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP has not filed a complaint in this matter.  If you wish to discuss this action or have any questions concerning this notice or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP toll free at 1-844-887-9500 or 1-610-667-7706, or via e-mail at info@ktmc.com. If you would like additional information about the suit, please click on the link "Submit Your Information" above and fill out the form as promptly as possible.

CONTACT:
Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check, LLP
James Maro, Esq. or Adrienne Bell, Esq.
280 King of Prussia Road
Radnor, PA 19087
1-844-887-9500 (toll free) or 1-610-667-7706
Or by e-mail at info@ktmc.com